[rvz]

> I can't use my OS of choice on it, I can't use my software of choice on it, I can't upgrade or fix anything on it, and I can't trust the swap to not shred the SSD.

It is just as locked in like an iPhone.

When at least one component of that computer is ruined, as you said it can't be simply swapped out and it time for a trip to the Apple Store if you're using it for the long term. If the SSD in the M1 is dead for some reason, you might as well buy the same model again but with your data lost.

> Am I missing something here? Time and time again I hear people say "you're not the target audience", and I'm getting the impression they're right.

It's true. It's for those who really love the Apple ecosystem and don't care about computers or opening them up. Right now the early adopters are realising the limits of the first generation M1 Macs.

Are they show-stoppers? Not for some of the casual users using Slack, Zoom, Google Docs, Word, Chrome and their favourite email client and users that aren't developers or professional creators but for those working in those fields will probably run into more 'incompatible software' complaints and using unstable workarounds.

[sundaeofshock]

> If the SSD in the M1 is dead for some reason, you might as well buy the same model again but with your data lost. <

Really? I would imagine that professional creators and developers would know enough to back-up their data.

[smoldesu]

Even still, that's not a fix for the machines that are broken. I'm more disturbed by the fact that my Macbook would become a unibody paperweight, the data is the easiest part to replace.

[yjftsjthsd-h]

> It is just as locked in like an iPhone.

Software-wise, it's a lot less locked-in than an iPhone - there aren't technical measures preventing a user from running an arbitrary OS or programs from non-Apple sources. (There is a temporary gap while people write drivers, but Apple's not stopping them, just not actively helping)